Halloween, Alaska reissue self-titled debut

An expanded version of Halloween, Alaska is set for an April 26 release on East Side Digital. The disc (which is pushing the release of a follow-up into the fall) includes multimedia extras like lyrics and an instrumental rehash of the entire album in MP3 form. More interesting are the three bonus tracks: the Vic 20 remix of "All the Arms Around You," muddles an originally sparse atmosphere with echoing vocals and kaleidoscope organ. A pleasant, if unsurprising acoustic demo of "Telling Me" strips the group of their usual lush electroscape. But the real reason fans might lay down money for an album they already own is the wide-release debut of "Warning Track," a six-minute uphill climb that plateaus with James Diers' vocals succumbing to crashing waves of guitars and assorted gadgetry. Unless those fans were at last month's Varsity-turned-Loring Pasta Bar show where they picked up the Halloween, Alaska/Andrew Bird two-song sampler that features "Warning Track." In that case, they shouldn't bother.